Buckle construction



M. ZOLA BUCKLE CONSTRUCTION Filed June 10, 1958 FIG. 1

INVENTOR. MORE/s ZOLA ATTORNEY.

Patented oct.. 29, 1940 I 2,219,674

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BUCKLE CONSTRUCTION Morris Zola, New York, N. Y. Application June 10, 1938, Serial No. 212,884 13 Claims. (CL- 24-265) v This invention relates to buckle construction. scope of the invention, the practical embodiment The invention will be described with particuherein illustrated and described being merely to larity in relation to the ends of a belt which show a form or modification in which the invenare to be joined together when the belt is worn tion might be embodied. i as an article of apparel. Itis to be understood, On the drawing, in which the same reference 5 however, that since the invention may have apcharacters refer to the same parts throughout, plication in other connections, it is not intended and in which is disclosed the embodiment rethat the invention should be restricted to any ferredto: such particularly described construction. Con- Fig. l is an elevational vview of a construction sidering cloth belts particularly, the method of showing a buckle embodying features of the in`l vl()A anchoring the ends of the belt to the buckle, in Vention in association withA a belt;

use at the present time, has many defects. For Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional View, substantially instance, the end of the belt may be passed on the line 22-of Fig. 1, to enlarged scale, illusthrough a number of slots, in order to lock trating in detail the construction of the buckle;

the-belt in position in those slots. To accom- Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an element of 15 plish this result, it is necessary to thread the the buckle construction, one of the fastener elebelt through such slots. Also, as can easily be ments being shown in open position; and

understood, any such slot must provide a suii- Fig. 4 is an-end view of a detail of the buckle cient opening so that the belt end may readily be construction. inserted into, and be passed through, the slot. In thev construction shown on the drawing,y a 29' Of course, such enlargement of the slot necesbelt strap I0 is seen to have sections I2 and I4 sarily must permit, and result in, slippage of the of a buckle .IB attached at its ends I8 and 20. belt through the slot, the belt being retained only Elements 22, by which the buckle sections are as a result of the swelling of the belt material, anchored to each other, as, for instance, in closreleased after it has been compressed into the ing the belt around the figure, may assume any 25 slot. Of course, this latter again depends upon desired form. l In the instance shown, section I2 the particular belt material being used. A includes a body 24 having an opening 26. Across It is an object of the invention to provide this opening may extend apin 28,v to which an end belt-end-retaining means forassociation with del8 of the strap maybe secured, as, for instance, vices such as buckles and belts, whereby, without by-being passed around the pin and then being 30j threading, the belt end may be received and stitched down against body 3D of the strap. Anclamped in position by a simple operation, and other cross-pin 32', which may be one of the ele` wherein the belt end, when so received, is posiments, may extend across opening 26 to provide UVSY compressed and iS S0 retained, S0' that means with which prongs 34 of section I4, which slippage is prevented by a positive external force. may be the other of the elements, maybe en- 3,5`

. It is an object of the invention to provide gaged to form the strap into gure-encircling means for retaining a belt end in association with shape. abuckle member by calmping the belt end in posi- Section I4 may be made up in any preferred tion between a pair of members which, when in manner. In the particular instance shown, it has belt-end-engaging position, engage, at'opposed been formed as a stamping fromsheet metal, so 4,0 faces of the belt end, against a bent portion of as to include a base portion 36the Stamping the belt end. including extending prongs 34. Pintle bearings Other objects of this invention will hereinafter 33 and 40 are provided with section I4, and are be set forth, or will be apparent from the descrip.- spaced apart laterally on base portion 36. In one tion and the drawing, in which is illustrated an type of construction, these pintle bearings may embodiment of apparatus for carrying out the be formed during the stamping operation, by invention. forming lugs at opposite'edges 42 and 44 of the The invention, however, is not intended to be base portion, and bending the lugs into small cylrestricted to a particular construction or arrangeindersior similar bearing-defining elements. Pivment 0f Parts, H01' t0 a particular application 0f otally mounted in the pintle'bearings are clamp- 50 such construction, nor to any specific method of ing fingers da and 48, These 'ngers are to be use, nor to various details thereof, herein shown formed to be capable of applying av sufficiently and described, as the same may be modied in positive pressure. In thev particular instance various particulars, or beapplied in many varied shown, the fingers are bent from pieces of wire 5 relations, without departing from the spirit andV so that ends 50 of a bent piece may be engaged in 55 a pintle bearing so that body portion 52 of the finger extends away from the pintle bearings, and is capable of pivoting movement. On such movement of a finger downwardly towards base portion 36, the body portion will extend substantially parallel to base portion 3B.

The loop end 54 of each finger is bent substantially at right angles to body portion 52 to define an engaging prong 56. Each prong is so positioned, in the formation of the finger, that it will engage over the edge opposite the pintle bearing of that particular nger. Since, for certain purposes of the invention, it is desired that the finger, as well as its prong, be resilient, so that finger and prong will be retained positively in the position to which they are moved, the finger formed from spring wire is a preferred form.

In the formation of the finger from wire, the finger takes the form of a pair of pins 58 eX- tending from ends 50. In one desired form, these pins are not substantially parallel to each other, but, in fact, converge away from ends 5@ towards prong 56. Fingers 45 and 4B, however, in the manner in which they are pivoted with relation to the respective edges 42 and 44, dispose their immediately adjacent pins 58 to assume, when the lingers are moved to clamping position, a substantially parallel relation to each other.

In order to position belt end 29 in relation to section I4, with the fingers in open position as shown in Fig. 3, body portion 59 is laid upon base portion 36 so that extreme end edge 5l) of the body portion extends beyond the position which will be assumed by the outermost pin 58 of finger 46 when the prong of that finger has engaged its associated edge 44 on movement of the finger to clamping position. Finger 4B is now moved down to engage body portion 59, and is pressed down positively so as to assure that the associated prong 55 engages over edge 44. The strap is now clamped against base portion 35. The belt end 60 is then bent back over the clamped strap, nger 46 forming the fold line. The strap is folded, as shown in Fig. 2, to a position where it lies directly upon the top face of the clamped body portion, forming a bend 62 around finger 46. Finger 48 is now moved downwardly against the superposed thicknesses, and so that its prong 56 engages edge 42. Finger li now clamps both thicknesses of the strap. At the same time, section 64 of the strap, which is caught between the immediately adjacent pins 58 of the fingers 45 and 48, is positively compressed, and held in bent condition, so that tendency to slip under longitudinal tension is materially prevented. Thus, the fabric, positively clamped against separation and prevented from running through be` tween the twofingers, is anchored in section I4. the clamping action at the immediately adjacent pins 53, and the added distortion of the belt at this position, serve to lock the belt against any movement.

Many other changes could be effected in the particularv device designed, and in the methods of use set forth, and in specific details thereof,

without substantially departing from the invention intended to be defined in the claims, the specific description being merely to illustrate an operative embodiment capable of carrying out the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed as new and useful is: 1. A buckle member for a belt construction which includes a belt member and the buckle vides means for detachably connecting together the ends of the belt member, the buckle member including an engaging section, the section having means for receiving and retaining one end of the belt member, the receiving-and-retaining means comprising a base, and a pair of immediately adjacent fingers mounted on and carried by the base and movable on the mountings towards the base from opposite directions for clamping the end of the belt member against the base.

2. A buckle member for a belt construction which includes a belt memberand the buckle member, and wherein the buckle member provides means for detachably connecting together the ends of the belt member, the buckle member including an engaging section, the section having means for receiving and retaining one end of the belt member, the receiving-and-retaining means comprising a base, and a pair of immediately adjacent fingers mounted on the base to pivot towards the base from opposite directions for clamping the end of the belt member against the base.

3. A buckle member for a belt construction which includes a belt member and the buckle member, and wherein the buckle member provides means for detachably connecting together the ends of the belt member, the buckle member including an engaging section, the section having means for receiving and retaining one end of the belt member, the receiving-and-retaining means comprising a base, and a pair of immediately adjacent fingers mounted at opposite sides of the base to swing past each other in immediate adjacency and against the base for clamping the end of the belt member against the base.

4. Means for anchoring a folded belt end in a buckle section, the anchoring means including an engaging section, the section having means for receiving and retaining the folded belt end, the receiving-and-retaining means comprising a base, and a pair of fingers mounted on the base tomove towards the base from opposite directions for clamping the folded belt end against the base, one of the fingers providing means for clamping a single thickness of the belt end against the base, and the other finger providing means for clamping the folded belt end against the base.

5. Means for anchoring a folded belt end in a buckle section, the anchoring means including an engaging section, the section having means for receiving and retaining the folded belt end, the receiving-and-retaining means comprising a base, and a pair of fingers mounted on the base to move towards the base from opposite directions for clamping the folded belt end against the base, one of the fingers providing means for clamping a single thickness of the belt end laid flat against the base and for forming means over which to fold the belt end back upon the clamped thickness, and the other finger providing means for clamping the superposed thickness of the folded belt end against the base,

6. Means for anchoring a belt end in a buckle section, the anchoring means including an engaging section, the section having means for receiving and retaining the belt end, the receiving-andretaining means comprising a base, and a pair of fingers mounted at laterally spaced positions on the base to move towards the base from opposite l:.iirections for clamp-ing the belt end against the ase.

7. Means for anchoring a belt end in a buckle section, the anchoring means including an engaging section, the section having means for receiving and retaining the belt end, the receivingand-retaining means comprising a base, and a pair of iingers pivoted at laterally spaced positions on the base to move towards the base from opposite directions for clamping the belt end against the base, and, when the fingers have moved into clamping position, to position edges of the respective fingers immediately adjacent to each other.

8. Means for anchoring a belt end in a buckle section, the anchoring means including an engaging section, the section having means for receiving and retaining the belt end, the receivingand-retaining means comprising a base, and a pair of fingers pivoted at laterally spaced positions on the base to move towards the base from opposite directions for clamping the belt end against the base, and, when the iingers have moved into clamping position, to position edges of the respective fingers immediately adjacent and substantially parallel to each other.

9. Means for anchoring a belt end in a buckle section, the anchoring means including an engaging section, the section having means for receiving and retaining the belt end, the receiving-andretaining means comprising a base, and a pair of fingers pivoted at laterally spaced positions on the base and tapering away from the pivot axes, the ngers being capable of movement down against the base for clamping the belt end against the base.

10. Means for anchoring a belt end in a buckle section, the anchoring means including an engaging section, the section having means for receiving and retaining the belt end, the receiving-andretaining means comprising a base, and a pair of ngers pivoted at laterally spaced positions on the base and tapering away from the pivot axes, the fingers being capable of mo-vement down against the base and into immediate adjacency to each other for clamping the belt end against the base, the fingers, when moved into clamping position,

receiving a portion of the belt member between,

said immediately adjacent edges of the fingers.

11. Means for anchoring a belt end in a buckle section, the anchoring means including an engaging section, the section having means for receiving and retaining the belt end, the receivingand-retaining means comprising a base, and a pair of fingers pivoted at the opposite edges of the base to move towards the base from opposite directions for clamping the belt end against the base, each nger having means for engaging the. edge opposite its pivot to anchor the nger in clamping relation to the base.

12. Means for anchoring a belt end in a buckle section, the anchoring means including an engaging section, the section having means for receiving and retaining the belt end, the receiving-andretaining means comprising a base, and a pair of resilient fingers pivoted at laterally spaced positions on the base to move towards the base from opposite directions for clamping the belt end against the base, the free end of each finger forming a resilient prong for engaging over the edge opposite its pivot.

CIL

13. Means for anchoring a folded belt end in a buckle section, the anchoring means including an engaging section, the section having means for receiving and retaining the folded belt end, the receiving-and-retaining means comprising a base, and a pair oi resilient fingers pivoted at laterally spaced positions on the base to move towards the base from opposite directions for clamping the folded belt endk against the base, one of the 1ingers providing means for clamping a single thickness of the belt end laid dat against the base and for forming means over which to fold the belt Jend back over .and upon the clamped thickness, and the other iinger providing means for clamping the superposed thicknesses of the belt endl against the base, each linger having means for engaging the edge opposite its pivot to anchor the ringer in clamping relation to the base; edges of the respective ngers, when the ngers are in clamping position, being in position immediately adjacent to each other, the belt end being held between the immediately adjacent edgesy when the fingers are down against the base.

MoRRrs ZOLA. 

